The Adventures of Champion (1955)

Information from IMDb

Plot Summary
The exploits of Champion, a wild stallion who befriends twelve year-old Ricky North
in the American Southwest in the 1880's.
Although Ricky, who lived on his Uncle Sandy's ranch, had a magnetic attraction for trouble,
he was always rescued by the Wonder Horse, aided by the boy's other bosom companion,
German shepherd dog, Rebel.
Written by Andy Barsby

Series Cast
Champion ... Champion, the Wonder Horse / ... (26 episodes, 1955-1956)
Barry Curtis ... Ricky North (26 episodes, 1955-1956)
Jim Bannon ... Sandy North (26 episodes, 1955-1956)
Blaze ... Rebel, the Dog (26 episodes, 1955-1956)
Ewing Mitchell ... Sheriff / ... (7 episodes, 1955-1956)
Bob Woodward ... Stage Driver / ... (6 episodes, 1955-1956)
Frank Matts ... Townsman / ... (6 episodes, 1955-1956)
Francis McDonald ... Will Calhoun / ... (4 episodes, 1955-1956)
Glenn Strange ... Dodge Kelley / ... (4 episodes, 1955-1956)
Jack Tornek ... Townsman / ... (4 episodes, 1955-1956)
Hank Patterson ... Trem Holt / ... (3 episodes, 1955-1956)
Tex Palmer ... Bucking Cowpoke / ... (3 episodes, 1955-1956)
Edgar Dearing ... Sarge Elwood / ... (2 episodes, 1955-1956)
William Henry ... Carter / ... (2 episodes, 1955-1956)
Harry Lauter ... Hank Elwood / ... (2 episodes, 1955-1956)
Tristram Coffin ... Tom Bennett / ... (2 episodes, 1955)
Myron Healey ... Duke / ... (2 episodes, 1955)
Ed Hinton ... Joe Bates / ... (2 episodes, 1955)
John War Eagle ... Chief Thunder Sky / ... (2 episodes, 1956)
Howard Negley ... Bentley Cameron / ... (2 episodes, 1955)
William Tannen ... Cole / ... (2 episodes, 1955)
Roy Barcroft ... Emmett Kane / ... (2 episodes, 1956)
John Damler ... Brock Stevens / ... (2 episodes, 1956)
Don C. Harvey ... Raine / ... (2 episodes, 1955-1956)
Edna Holland ... Aunt Emily / ... (2 episodes, 1955)
George J. Lewis ... Bert Hollis / ... (2 episodes, 1955)
Leonard Penn ... Jonah Mattson / ... (2 episodes, 1955)
Keith Richards ... Andrews / ... (2 episodes, 1955)
Rick Vallin ... Ledoux / ... (2 episodes, 1955)
Walter Reed ... Ed Neely / ... (2 episodes, 1956)
James Best ... Mace Kincaid / ... (2 episodes, 1955-1956)
Lane Bradford ... Carr Preston / ... (2 episodes, 1955-1956)
Chris Alcaide ... Frank / ... (2 episodes, 1955)
House Peters Jr. ... Frank Parker / ... (2 episodes, 1955)
Marshall Bradford ... Marshal Hale / ... (2 episodes, 1956)
Larry Hudson ... Jud / ... (2 episodes, 1956)
Melinda Plowman ... Lorna Brighton / ... (2 episodes, 1955)
Rhodes Reason ... Molson / ... (2 episodes, 1955)
Mark Dana ... George McNab / ... (2 episodes, 1956)
Charles Hayes ... Sheriff / ... (2 episodes, 1955-1956)
Johnny Dallas ... Sheriff Bilson / ... (2 episodes, 1955)
Mauritz Hugo ... Runnels / ... (2 episodes, 1955)
Steve Conte ... Fred Hackett / ... (2 episodes, 1956)
Duane Grey ... Doug / ... (2 episodes, 1956)
Robert 'Buzz' Henry ... Landers / ... (2 episodes, 1956)
Terry Frost ... Fred Carter / ... (2 episodes, 1955-1956)
Gregg Palmer ... Al / ... (2 episodes, 1955-1956)
Gregg Barton ... Bundy / ... (2 episodes, 1955)
Frank Fenton ... Sheriff / ... (2 episodes, 1955)
Kenne Duncan ... Brice / ... (2 episodes, 1955)
I. Stanford Jolley ... Barstow / ... (2 episodes, 1955)
John L. Cason ... Burke / ... (2 episodes, 1956)
Robin Short ... Fred / ... (2 episodes, 1956)
John Parrish ... Sheriff Ray Thomas / ... (2 episodes, 1955-1956)
Herman Hack ... Cowboy / ... (2 episodes, 1955-1956)

Series Directed
George Archainbaud (14 episodes, 1955-1956)
John English (6 episodes, 1955-1956)
Ford Beebe (6 episodes, 1955)

Series Produced
Louis Gray .... producer (26 episodes, 1955-1956)

Series Writing Credits
Eric Freiwald (6 episodes, 1955-1956)
Robert Schaefer (6 episodes, 1955-1956)
J. Benton Cheney (3 episodes, 1955-1956)
Oliver Drake (3 episodes, 1955-1956)
Ty Cobb (2 episodes, 1955-1956)
Maurice Geraghty (2 episodes, 1955)
Orville H. Hampton (2 episodes, 1955)

Series Cinematography
William Bradford (22 episodes, 1955-1956)
Harry Neumann (4 episodes, 1955-1956)

Trivia
Champion was in fact played by four different horses.
The original "Champion" that made Gene Autry famous in the movies is not the same horse
that appeared in the 1955-1956 TV series.
Champion easily earned his title of "Wonder Horse" by performing a variety of tricks
which included kneeling, untying rope knots and dancing and prancing for the public.
It died (buried at Autry's Melody Ranch) when Autry was serving in the military during World War II.
The others: "Champion" (the horse of the TV series), a chestnut stallion foaled in 1940.
The others - "Champion Jr." and "Little Champion" - were all used in Autry's postwar films.
"Champion's" hoofprints can be seen in front of Graumann's Chinese Theater in Hollywood.

Show's theme song was sung by (an uncredited) Mike Stewart.

Filming Locations
Andy Jauregui Ranch - Placerita Canyon Road, Newhall, California, USA
Lone Pine, California, USA
Melody Ranch - 24715 Oak Creek Avenue, Newhall, California, USA
Vasquez Rocks Natural Area Park - 10700 W. Escondido Canyon Rd., Agua Dulce, California, USA

The Adventures of Champion is an American children's Western series that aired from
September 23, 1955 to March 3, 1956 for 26 episodes on CBS.
In the United Kingdom, the series was re-broadcast under the title Champion the Wonder Horse.

User Review

Quote

Another Story Of A Horse And The Boy Who Loves Him,
11 November 2010
5/10 Author: bkoganbing from Buffalo, New York

One of the big producers of TV westerns in television's first decade was the
first of those singing cowboys Gene Autry. Among the shows he produced
besides his own was Annie Oakley, The Range Rider, Buffalo Bill Jr.,
and this one starring his horse Champion.

Unlike Roy Rogers for whom there was only one Trigger,
Autry had about four or five versions of his steed at the ready for movies,
personal appearances and in this case a television series.

The Adventures Of Champion had the bad luck to debut when Autry
was gradually getting out of television when G rated cowboys were
being replaced by the adult western. It also had the bad luck to
debut around the same time as a boy/horse show in a modern western
setting named Fury was winning viewers on Saturday morning.

According to a recent biography of Gene Autry, Public Cowboy Number One,
Gene originally offered the adult father figure role to one of his fellow singing cowboys Monte Hale.
However Hale turned the role down because he didn't like being billed
under the horse in the credits and the role of the sheriff went to Jim Bannon.

The cast as it finally rounded out was young Barry Curtis who lived with his
uncle Jim Bannon and made a friend of the unrideable Champion which
was the exact same premise that Fury had.
For good measure young Curtis had a Rin Tin Tin German Shepherd dog in Rebel.

It was a nice kids show, but it certainly wasn't as memorable in the consciousness as Fury was.

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